KidnappedAGAIN?
by EvilImp532
Summary: Holly is kidnapped again and Artemis&co. must save her. Now Foaly has been kidnapped. Can they save him before it's too late?First fic...NEW CHAPTER UP!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything.so don't sue!!  
  
Kidnapped.AGAIN?!?  
  
Holly's Apartment  
  
Holly had just gotten home from work and she was tired. All day long she did paperwork and when something was out of order Root through a fit. Half of Haven probably heard every blow he through her way. And things didn't get any better when Foaly needed a new test dummy. Ha. more like victim. Holly now had her arms soaking in water to help ease the pain of her second-degree burns.  
Oh yeah, she had had a tuff day and needed a rest. Holly was just about to settle down on her comfy couch when someone knocked at the door.  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
Artemis was not having a good day. It had been weeks.no, months since he had last found those mirrored contacts. Worst of all he could not figure out what his dreams meant. In his dreams there was always the same pretty girl punching him in the nose.and when he woke up he had the strangest longing to kill who ever had invented the lollipop.  
It was incredibly frustrating for a genius like him to not know the answer to a question. But, oh well. He was wasting time pondering over this question when he had a meeting with a Mister Mike Diggust in fifteen minutes.  
  
In A Car.Ten Minutes Away From Fowl Manor  
  
Mulch Diggums, or should we say Mike Diggust, was a very happy dwarf. After a long and excruciatingly difficult trial.mostly due to Commander Root's persistence on arresting him.he was free. Life was good. And he was soon to be reuniting with Artemis Fowl and giving him his memories back. Mulch fingered the golden disk lovingly.  
"Oh yes, life is good."  
  
More to come....Review.PLEASE!!!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer~ Once again.I own nothing. So don't sue.  
  
Kidnapped.Again?!?  
  
Holly's Apartment  
  
"Who could that be at this hour?" Holly questioned.  
More knocking came at the door, only this time it was much more frantic.  
"Hold on. I'm coming, I'm coming."  
Holly moved quickly to the door and her hands moved nimbly along the many high-tech locks on her door (apparently Foaly was way more paranoid then she thought). She reached out to the doorknob and suddenly had a feeling of dread spread over her.  
If she had had any feeling of slamming the door shut and locking it again, it was to late now. The visitor had opened the door as soon as it saw the doorknob move. The figure was draped in a long, black cloak and the only part you could see of it was its hands that had long, tapered fingers and perfectly polished nails.  
Before Holly could react properly the cloaked figure had its hands covering Holly's mouth and had stuck a needle in her neck.  
Holly felt a sharp pain in her neck, like the type you get from stubbing a toe, and let out a muffled yelp. She knew it was a tranquilizer and suddenly her world went black.  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
Ding-dong.  
"Ah, Mister Diggust I presume? Master Fowl is waiting for you in his office. Come right this way." Said an overly large man the size of a bear known as Butler. Mulch, or Mike, followed Butler very obediently through the maze of corridors finally getting to an office that was currently occupied my young Master Fowl.  
As Mulch entered he soon found Artemis sitting in a large desk chair. He hadn't changed a bit. Artemis was still vampire-pale, had dark hair, and looked as emotionless as usual. Mulch smiled slightly as he remembered that he was soon to be reuniting Artemis, as well as Butler and Juliet, with their long-forgotten memories.  
"Mister Diggust, I'd like to get down to business. Since you did not explain to me what this meeting is about I would like to know why I should even consider allowing you any bit of my time?" Artemis stated flatly and emotionlessly.  
Well he sure didn't change in personality, Mulch thought.  
"Yes, I would like you to take a look at this disk of files I have brought and tell me what you think." Mulch said in a business like manner. He handed Artemis the golden disk and Artemis set it into his laptop.  
As the information loaded onto the screen and Artemis read it, he started shaking and he collapsed onto the floor. Butler ran over in a flash to see what was wrong. As he glanced at the screen he started going into the same shaking state.  
After a few minutes Artemis got up off the ground with Butler and said, "It's good to be back Mister Diggums."  
  
Review.PLEASE!!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything. A/n- Thanks for the reviews and advice.I'll try to make the chapters longer.  
  
Kidnapped.Again?!?  
  
LEP Head quarters  
  
"FOALY, WHERE IS SHORT? SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE 8 HOURS AGO!" Commander Julius Root screamed at the top of his lungs at the paranoid, genius centaur known as Foaly.  
"How am I supposed to know, Julius." He replied sarcastically.  
"DON'T CALL ME JULIUS PONY BOY OR I'LL CUT YOUR BUDGET IN HALF!"  
"Honestly, sir. You really should stop yelling or your heart is going to fail one of these days." Foaly replied smoothly.  
"CUT THE CRAP PONY, NOW WHERE IS SHORT?" he screamed as he invented a new shade of purple.  
"Well let's just take a quick look see at my locator. You see, commander, this baby can locate every single LEP personnel at the push of a button because what I did was put each LEP officers DNA in the built in scanner and it is able to locate traces of."  
"I DON'T CARE WHAT IT DOES JUST AS LONG AS YOU FIND CAPTIAN SHORT!"  
"I am sooo unappreciated. But any who, okay, Captain Short is in. well, that's odd." Foaly said with a quizzical look on his face.  
"Well?" Root said, his patience waning.  
"Well she's in the middle of Ireland. Above ground I do believe."  
"SHE DOESN'T HAVE CLEARENCE TO BE ABOVE GROUND.I'M GOING TO HAVE HER BADGE THIS TIME!"  
Without any notice Foaly started typing madly on his keyboard. A blur of words and numbers flew on the plasma screens until a view of inside Holly's apartment showed up.  
"Since when do you have Short's apartment wired?"  
"That's not important Julius, do you realize the state of the room. It's practically destroyed." Foaly said in a state of awe.  
Indeed the room was a mess. The front door was off its hinges and there was furniture knocked over and flung carelessly all over the room. Reports littered the ground along with dishes and knick-knacks. On the wall there was something written in spray-paint.  
"Foaly, zoom in on that wall."  
Foaly pressed a few buttons and the wall could now be clearly read.  
1 billion in gold or she dies in ten days  
"Fowl" the growled in unison.  
  
Fowl Manor  
"So, Mulch, how are things in Haven?" Artemis said with his vampire smile.  
"I guess they're good, although Root almost had a heart attack when they pronounced me innocent." He said with a coy smile on his lips.  
"Butler, call for Juliet so we can give her back her memories."  
"Yes, sir."  
"So, what are you going to do now that you have your memories?" Mulch inquired.  
"I believe I will alert the people that I am back." 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer~ I own nothing. So don't sue. A/n- Thanks again for the reviews.  
  
Kidnapped.AGAIN?!?  
  
Dark Room, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
"Oh, my head." Holly moaned. "Where am I?"  
Holly looked around and saw that she was in a dark room (a/n duh) that had a cobblestone floor and stonewalls. Holly was chained in shackles to one of the walls. Her head was pounding and her body was aching from the tranquilizer more than likely. She noticed that her Neutrino 2000 was missing along with all of the wiring Foaly had made specifically for her.  
Without warning the door on the opposite side of the room opened with an eerie creak. The same figure that had kidnapped her entered, still wearing its black cloak. The figure suddenly started laughing in a deranged way.  
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU" Holly demanded, frightened but not showing it.  
  
"Who I am doesn't concern you. It is my boss that you should concern yourself with." The figure said.  
"Well then bring your boss here." Holly was losing her patience. She didn't feel like taking the time to argue and play silly little mind games with this mysterious person. What she needed to do was get back to headquarters and finish those reports or Commander Root will have her head.  
"Of course. Please wait here." It said as it left the room.  
"Where else am I going to go, I'm tied to a wall in chains." Holly muttered under her breath. She didn't have to wait very long because soon another person entered. This one was definitely male.  
"I understand that you would like to see me." The man said. He was dressed in an Armani suit with a silk tie and black dress shoes. His hair was blonde and was drawn back into a long ponytail. He wore many obviously expensive rings on his well-manicured fingers. The man was a fairy, easily defined by his height and pointed ears.  
"Of course I want to see you, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?" she screamed.  
"Well before I get to answering your questions, my name is Steven Russey. I am an executive in Russey Corporations. Now onto your question, I was planning on doing what that Fowl character did. I kidnapped you and left a messages for all of your little friends in the LEP telling them to give me one billion dollars in gold or you will be murdered in ten days. I know that the centaur probably has you bugged in some way or another, so they should be able to find you and get the money to me. And if they can't, I'll kill you and mail them the pieces." Russey said with sick amusement in his voice.  
"What have you got against me?" Holly question, a hint of fear in her voice.  
"Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, I admired Fowl for what he did, but I want to finish the job, so to speak. You see a good kidnapper would have taken the money and then killed you. I am going to do that. See I personally don't think you should have been left alive."  
Holly had a look on her face that showed her pure disgust. Artemis was cruel and vicious in the beginning but he was a good kid now, well, maybe not good but he wasn't the evil little mud-boy he was.  
Why am I even thinking about him right now, I've got to figure a way out of here before this nut kills me, Holly thought.  
"So I'll just leave you here until your friends come to rescue you or they give me the money. Have a nice day." Russey said.  
  
LEP Headquarters  
  
Foaly quickly transferred the screen to show Fowl Manor.  
"I thought you took all of your cameras out of there?" Root questioned, an eyebrow cocked.  
"And you think I would do that with all of the criminal things he's done? Come on Julius, don't be so naive." Foaly said with a smile.  
"Don't you ever call me Julius again.just show inside the manor already." Root said.  
"Okay, okay. Don't have a cow." Foaly said as he pressed a few buttons. Blurred scenes of the interior of Fowl Manor appeared.  
"Make it clear pony."  
Foaly sighed and mumbled about being verbally abused as he focused the scene. It showed Artemis Fowl talking to.what's this.MULCH!!!!. Foaly turned on the volume so they could hear the conversation.  
"So, what are you going to do now that you have your memories?"  
"I believe I will alert the people that I am back." Artemis said with a smile on his pale face.  
"GET ME AND CAPTIAN KELP THE FIRST SHUTTLE OUT OF HERE AND UP TO TARA. I AM GOING TO KILL THAT LITTLE MUD-WEASEL." Root roared.  
  
More to come. 


	5. IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ

Disclaimer~ I own nothing.  
  
A/N~ Hey everyone. Sorry this isn't a real chapter. You know how it says that this story is going to be Action/Adventure/Romance, well I can't figure out who I should have the romance between. Should it be Artemis/Holly, Trouble/Holly, Foaly/Holly (ha ha, that rhymes), Root/Holly? I don't know. You all need to tell me what you think it should be so I can come up with another chapter real soon. 


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer~ I do not own anything. A/N- Due to popular demand I'm going to have the romance between Holly/Artemis AND Holly/Trouble. Kepp the reviews coming.  
  
Kidnapped AGAIN?!?  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
"FOWL!!" a voice Artemis identified as Commander Julius Root's of LEPrecon.  
"Butler, please invite the fairy's in." Artemis said coolly.  
Butler did so and Commander Root and Captian Trouble Kelp walked in both looking quite angry.  
"While you are in my manor neither of you will use mesmer and you can not harm anything or anyone." Artemis said flatly.  
"Tell them they can't arrest me either." Mulch said as he hid behind a couch.  
"And you can not arrest Mulch Diggums."  
"Fine." Root growled.  
"Now, what crime have I commited now or are you just going to mind- wipe me, again?" Artemis inquired.  
"You know what you did Fowl, so just hand over Captain Short and we will leave." Kelp said menacingly.  
"Why do you think that I have Captain Short here?"  
"Only because you've kidnapped her before for ransom, you now have your memories back, and she's gone again." Said a haughty voice from Roots helmet.  
"Hello Foaly. When was she kidnapped?"  
"About late last night." Root said.  
"I did not regain my memories until an hour or so ago. So I could not have done it." Artemis said. Even tough I did kidnap her before I wouldn't do it again, besides, we were practically friends, Artemis thought to himself.  
"THEN WHO THE HELL DID?" Trouble roared. Even though Holly had only been gone for a few hours, he missed her, a lot.  
"I don't know but I would be glad to assist you in your search for her." Artemis said smoothly.  
"Oh no, Fowl. The People are still paying for the gold that you took the last time Short was kidnapped. And you have never done anything without something in return." Root said quickly, squashing the idea.  
"Butler and I would be great assets to your resque team and we only ask for you to leave our memories alone." Artemis stated.  
"It would be a good idea, Julius. Two geniuses are better than one." Foaly's voice came through Roots helmet.  
"Don't call me Julius pony-boy, or I will cut your budget right in half." Root hollered menacingly.  
"So are we helping or not?"  
"I suppose." Root said through gritted teeth.  
"Well hurry up on down to the Operations Booth and I'll have weapons for you there. Hurry, we have no time to lose." Foaly whinned through Roots helmet. Operations Booth, Underground  
  
As the four filed their way into the small room covered in advanced technology, Foaly started handing out your standard weapons (Neutrino 2000's, Sig Saucers, miniature bombs somewhat like grenades, and specially developed wings for the fairy's and even for the humans.)  
"Pony, where did you get time to make wings for the humans?" Root questioned.  
"Lets not think about that right now, we have to concentrate on finding Holly." Foaly said hurridley. "Now here's your standard locator device. I have Holly bugged, so she shows up as the little green dot on the locator. From what I can tell, she's somewhere in Ireland. You should be able to find her easily 


	7. IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything.  
  
A/N- Very important. I'm sorry this isn't a real chapter, again. What do you all feel about one of the characters dying? I would like to know before I carry on with the story. Make sure you tell me so that I can make the story as likeable as possible to you readers. Thanks. Keep reviewing. 


	8. Chapter 6

Disclaimer~ I do not own anything. A/N- Keep reviewing everybody.  
  
Kidnapped Again?!?  
  
Dark Room, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
This is just great, Holly thought to herself. This nut is going to kill me even if he gets the ransom money. I wonder how long I've been here? He did say that they had ten days to get him the money or I die. And I'm chained to a wall and have no weapons whatsoever. Things can't get any worse.  
Then again, they always do.  
Holly was filthy. She was covered in dirt that stuck to her like spandex, no matter how hard she tried to brush it all off. Not to mention that the floor looked like it hadn't been properly cleaned in over a century, or maybe even two. It had dirt and grime and other filth all over it. And on the west wall there was a rather large stain that looked suspiciously similar to blood to Holly. Small bones of some form of creature littered the floor.  
Huge spiders hung from their elaborately spun webs on the ceiling. Small beady little eyes of many rats peered out t her from the shadows of the far wall. The fact that there was no light being emitted into the room wasn't helping either.  
A large growl could be heard from Holly's under nourished stomach. Guess I've been here longer than I thought, Holly thought. I haven't been this hungry for ages. Feels like I haven't eaten in years. I wonder if this psycho will have enough heart to feed me.  
  
Tara, Ireland  
  
"So, how are we going to be transporting ourselves?" Root said irritably. He had had a long day. First, his best officer goes missing and now he has to put up with Fowl. Oh joy. The fun will never end.  
"Butler is on his way to getting the Bentley from my manor." Artemis said matter-of-factly.  
Root and Trouble groaned. They were not thrilled in having the pleasure of riding in a human made vehicle, otherwise known as a death trap to the People. Both of them had ridden in human made vehicles before, but each time they feared for their lives.  
It didn't take too long before Butler was speeding their way in a very classy Bentley. It was slick and polished black with silver rims on the tires that appeared to cost a pretty penny, and knowing Fowl, it more than likely did. Everyone filed in only to be greeted by Mulch's happy face.  
"In case you weren't aware, you seemed to have left me at Artemis's place. Now, I think it's just me, but did you really think you could get rid of me that easily, Julius?" Mulch inquired in an odd singsong voice.  
"ONE, DO NOT CALL ME JULIUS, CONVICT. TWO YOU AREN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE COMING ON THIS RESCUE MISSION. NOW GET OUT OF THAT CAR AND WALK YOUR SORRY ASS BACK TO FOWL MANOR." Root exploded. He had turned a rather lovely shade of magenta and had several large veins and arteries bulging out of his forehead and neck.  
"No need to shout. Besides, you are really going to end up having a heart attack with that temper of yours. Anyway, you can't tell me what to do. As long as I'm in this car, which is technically belonging to Artemis, the rules still apply, you can't arrest me or harm anything, including myself." He said smartly.  
Root fumed. It was bad enough that he had to go rescue Holly, again, but now he had to put up with being in a mud-man made death trap with Fowl AND Mulch. Things were just not going his way today.  
"As much as I don't want to admit it, he is right, Julius. Now just get into the car so that we can move along and rescue Holly." Came Foaly's voice, oddly quiet and not filled with sarcasm, from Roots helmet.  
The little adding of the word "Julius" went unnoticed as Commander Root did as he was told, and without making a fuss, which truthfully shocked everyone. "Fine" he mumbled grumpily.  
Once everyone was settled, (Mulch up front with Butler and Root in the far back of the Bentley, Trouble and Artemis in the middle, wanting to stay away from the now seething commander), and buckled up, Butler rolled onto the highway.  
"Fowl, aren't your parents going to wonder why you aren't at home?" Trouble asked whispered quietly.  
"Not at all, they are away in Jamaica on a second honeymoon." He said smoothly without a hint of emotion, although on the inside he shuddered at the thought of his parents on a honeymoon, a second one at that. Even though he was overly mature for his age of fifteen that was something that he did not want to think about. "They wont suspect a thing."  
"And what if they call the manor while you are away?" he asked, very annoyed and hoping to stump the genius. Not only did Artemis say his answers like he was better than everybody else and knew everything, but he also had an air about him that suggested it.  
"I have the number programmed to my cellular phone, so that if they do happen to call while I am not at the manor, I can still answer." He said like it was the simplest thing in the world to understand and that you would have to be a true idiot to not think of it yourself.  
This just ticked Trouble off even more. Artemis really did act like he knew everything. Trouble also got a sneaking suspicion that Artemis may like Captain Short more than he should. I mean, why else would he volunteer so quickly to help rescue her and for such a small price, considering the things he demanded in the past. It doesn't matter, its not like Holly would like a stuck up mud-boy over him. Would she?  
  
Operations Booth  
  
Foaly sighed. It was going to be a long day. First the Commander gets all touchy on the subject of his first name, oh there's a shock. But worst of all Chix Verbal has to be extra annoying to him today. Most of the LEP had already learned about Holly's disappearance. Chix was devastated. He kept asking Foaly to send him to the rescue team because he couldn't bear not knowing if HIS Holly was all right or not. I finally understand what its like to have Chix bothering me all day long. 'Where is Holly?' 'Why can't I go?' 'When is she coming back?' and other stuff like that. This newfound discovery could have waited a few millennia, Foaly thought to himself. By that time Holly, or another female, but more than likely Holly, would have murdered him, brutally, by that time.  
To add to his pain and suffering of the dreaded Chix, he had to keep the fact that Holly had been kidnapped again, Artemis Fowl and Butler were helping in the rescue (with their memories), and that Mulch had given them their memories back and was now with them from the council. Every other second someone wanted to talk to Julius or Holly or Trouble. Plus, because every LEP officer knew about Holly's absence, he had to keep them from telling people outside the LEP or worse, the council. So for the past few hours he had been running (do you realize how funny it is to see a centaur run?) around keeping the council busy with silly proposals that would take them years to come with an answer to and blackmailing certain LEP personnel to keep quiet on Captain Shorts disappearance. Life is tough. 


	9. Chapter 7

Disclaimer~ I do not own anything.  
  
A/N~ Sorry that I haven't updated in a long time but I am now. So there!  
  
Kidnapped.AGAIN!?!  
  
Dark Room, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
As if hearing her thoughts, Russey walked into the room with a platter of, she hoped, was food, and not weird torture devices. He smiled as if Christmas had come early.  
Oh no, Holly thought to herself with an audible groan. Russey walked over to her and Holly could see the sly glint in his eyes.  
Oh God, why me. Now this maniac has probably decided that its time for me to die. Holly thought, with slight sarcasm.  
"Hello dear captain. How are we today? Your time is almost up and seeing as none of your friends are here yet to save you I thought that I should speed up the process of your death. So you have practically, hmmm, about two hours I'd say. But, I know how in prisons before you die they guards give you your last meal, so here we have some fruits and veggies. Hope you enjoy it because it's going to be your last meal. I'll be back in two hours. Oh, and try not to upset the guards. They have the power to torture you before your death as long as they don't kill you." Russey concluded, with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. Just then, three brutishly large men with what appeared to be nightsticks walked into the chamber. Just there shear size had Holly thinking that they could be distant relatives of the Butlers.  
God they have to be part troll or something. Good lord they are HUGE! Holly thought in awe.  
Russey brushed off his well-manicured Armani suit and turned on his heel and left the room. Holly really didn't like the thought of being chained to a wall with large men standing in front of her with weapons and smiling, or just bearing their teeth, menacingly. Holly groaned. Just her idea of fun.  
"Hey, girlie. You gonna be quiet. Or you'll be forced to feel pain. Ha ha." One of the men said. He had an Australian accent and died blonde hair and his build kind of reminded her of Arno Blunt. As he and the other two idiots were laughing stupidly Holly muttered under her breath, " You would think if you were going to have guards you may want to hire some with IQ's slightly north of that of a bedroom slipper."  
"Hey what did you say?" The largest one of the three asked.  
"I said 'you would think, " Holly began.  
"Wait a minute little lady. He just said that you had to be quiet. Or you would get some pain. So now, your gonna get some pain." The other one said and started a new giggle fit between the three idiots. Holly got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the three started to advance on her with their nightsticks raised.  
  
On the road, in Ireland  
  
"Hello all. Having fun?" came Foaly's voice over Commander Root's communicator. No one was having fun. Butler had been navigating for quite some time and trying to find Captain Short he had managed to pick out the roads with the most potholes and dead animals in the middle of the road. They had to stop to change the tires, all four of them, over three times. Everyone was starting to feel extremely car sick, even Root who had, back in the day, flown as outrageously as Holly does. Mulch had already vomited and that caused Artemis to show emotion, oh parish the thought.  
"We are not having fun, Foaly. Now what do you want to tell us, and if you don't have something to tell us then GET THE HELL OFF OF THE LINE AND SHUT UP!" Root raged with his nostrils flared and everyone was imagining smoke coming out of his ears.  
"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Julius. You should really see a doctor about that temper because eventually you are going to have an awful heart attack and then whom will I bother? I will be so alone in the world without you. But back on track here. You are closing in on Holly's location. I looked ahead and the place is an old, abandoned warehouse. You can't miss it." Foaly said.  
"Foaly?" Artemis asked.  
"Yes?"  
"You know the radar that's tracking Ho- Captain Short down. Should a dot that was green on there be flashing red?" he inquired.  
"RED! Oh no, that is not good. The green dot represented Holly and with a mixture of a little gadget that tracks vitals, green meant that she was fairly healthy and in relatively no pain. But red! That shows that she could be in a position that is near fatal and that she is in an unendurable pain. Oh no!" Foaly cried. You could tell that he was on the verge of tears. Holly was, and still is, hopefully, one of his only friends. It was hard for him to know that Holly could be, well, he didn't even want to think about it. "You better get there quickly. Butler, step on it! Have your weapons ready!"  
Everyone's blood started to rise with the heat of battle about to rage, even Artemis' who wouldn't be fighting at all, well unless duty called of course. Besides, it had been a while since anything this exciting and extreme had happened to Artemis and Butler. What with him going straight, except for a few little mishaps that were inevitable, and all. The LEP hadn't been having too much trouble now either with most of the B'Wa Kell in jail. Although every now and again a stray goblin or troll would get rowdy and they would have to send an officer out, but other than that it had been pretty quiet in Haven.  
"Butler, you are only about, well I'd say, ten or twelve minutes away from the warehouse. You can take a left hear and drive straight the rest of the way. The warehouse will be on your right. Be careful." Foaly said. "Oh and watch out for the three dogs. I really can't tell what breed they are but they don't look friendly."  
  
Please review! 


	10. Chapter 8

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything.  
  
A/N~ Thanks for the reviews everybody. And trust me, I'm not going to let Holly scream. That would be too wrong. I'll try to update soon!  
  
Outside the Warehouse, Ireland  
  
For the next ten minutes everyone sat quietly in the car. No one spoke for fear it could cause them to slow down, and every second was precious to Holly. Butler slowed the car in front of a dilapidated warehouse then swung around and parked in the bushes so that their enemies wouldn't spot them.  
The group clambered out and ducked down low into the bushes.  
"So what's the plan?" Mulch offered. All eyes turned to Fowl. At this Foaly's voice came through Commander Root's helmet, "You know, he's not the only genius you could turn to for help. I am here. And I hope you know that if it wasn't for me the whole entire Council would be on your cases so fast that,"  
"Okay, Foaly. What is your plan?" Artemis said as he cut Foaly off.  
"Oh, well now that you mention it I do have a plan and it's a good one, just so you know Julius. Now what I want you all to do is go up to the door and open it somehow." He began.  
"Aren't there any guards patrolling the area?" Butler asked.  
"No, actually. Must be a pretty stupid kidnapper. I already searched the premises and there are no living creatures that could hinder your progress on this level of the warehouse. But, I've noticed an odd amount of metals in the floor and walls. I believe that they could be bombs of some sort. So watch where you step. When you get inside there is a rickety, old staircase leading downward on your right, when you get there notify me." He said as he got off the line.  
"Probably bombs, he says. Of course they are bombs, what else would they be. This kidnapper can't be that stupid even if there aren't any guards on this level of the warehouse." Root said as if it wee the easiest thing in the world to identify.  
"Perhaps, Commander. Although, there is a large possibility that Foaly's tracking device didn't work and that in fact is not Captain Short." Artemis pointed out.  
"I pay that stupid horse too much for his machines not to work so it had better be Captain Short when we get to her." Root growled.  
Oh, you all have such little faith in me." Foaly complained.  
"I thought you said that you were getting off the line, pony, so that we can do our jobs." Root said menacingly.  
"Well, you know what, I thought it my be helpful if I stayed on the line so that if any of you had any problems I could resolve th-"  
"Hello? We have a Captain to save. So stop your bickering so we can get this done and over with." Captain Kelp said, raising his voice slightly.  
"In case you haven't noticed, Captain, but I am your commanding officer and what I say goes and I will have your badge for another outburst like that, Kelp. Now lets go." He finished and he group followed him cautiously to the door of the warehouse.  
  
Dark Room, Somewhere in the Warehouse, Ireland  
  
Bang!  
  
Out of nowhere, it seemed, the three large men were beating her all over with their nightsticks. The pain was so overwhelming Holly could almost see stars circling around her head like in the mud-men cartoons. I've got to stop watching those, Holly thought. She gritted her teeth together in pain as another blow came down, though she couldn't tell which one had delivered it.  
Soon her vision blurred. The men had stopped striking her on the back and had moved onto her head and neck. Any more of this and I'll be out like a light, she thought. And I have barely enough magic to heal a paper cut. A concussion is probably inevitable. I wonder if this Russey guy will kill me while I'm unconscious or wait till I'm awake to do it? Huh? Wait a minute. What am I thinking? I'm not going to fall unconscious or die without a fight. That wouldn't be me if I didn't fight. I'm not going to be snuffed like a candle. I can make it out of this. Hopefully Foaly has already sent people to come rescue me, but I can't wait on something that may never come so I'll have to get out of here myself, Holly thought.  
With some of her last strength, Holly managed to fling out her leg strategically so that the Australian man tripped and fell onto the other two. Of course she didn't just do this at any given moment she had to time it perfectly so that they were stuck on the ground for a while.  
"Hey, what did you do that for man?" the biggest asked.  
"It wasn't my fault, she-" the Australian started.  
"Oh yeah. Blame it on the girl who's tied to a wall and has been hit a lot. I think you did that on purpose." Said the smallest, and smartest, although it was hard to tell.  
Holly had seen something like this on The Three Stooges or something like that. Thank goodness Foaly had an odd love for American mud-men television programs or she would have never seen any of that.  
The two made their ways over to the slightly frightened Australian, bearing their teeth and flexing their muscles while all three left their night sticks in a forgotten heap within Holly's reach. She smiled gently but stop immediately from the pain. She turned her head slowly to see the action.  
The big guy and the smaller guy were currently slamming punches and hurling kicks upon the Australian man. After a while he started to whimper and it might have been her imagination but she could have sworn that she saw a tear or two.  
One down, two to go, she thought.  
  
At the Warehouse Door, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
After throwing a small pebble at the door to see if it exploded, Butler expertly jiggled the handle, which surprisingly wasn't locked, and opened the door. With an eerie creek it swung slowly open to reveal a large room with a grimy floor much like that of a common shanty. A draft was pulled in through the large gaps in the ceiling and walls due to poor construction.  
"What kind of criminals are these guys? This place looks worse than if a troll had chewed it up and spit it out." Mulch said in a hushed whisper.  
"You would know, wouldn't you?" Root said with a sly grin upon his face.  
"Hey, are you insulting my looks? You know we all can't be born beautiful so I can understand that you're jealous." He countered with an evil smile tugging at the corner of his lips.  
"What? Why you little-"  
"Let's concentrate on the matter at hand instead of arguing like children." Artemis said coolly. Honestly, they really do act like children, Artemis thought. If they could just get along for a little while they could have already saved Holly. I hope she's all right.  
"Fine." Said Mulch as he started walking towards the stairs. He was about to go farther when Butler's arm shot out from nowhere to restrain him. "Listen, big man. I know that we haven't seen each other in a while but that doesn't mean there is a need for hugs."  
"You were about to step on a bomb." Came Foaly's annoyingly high- pitched voice from Trouble's communicator this time.  
"Oh! Well then we can forget what I just said." Mulch said meekly, or rather, as meekly as is possible for a kleptomaniac dwarf.  
"How come you didn't tell us this before, Foaly?" came Trouble's exasperated voice.  
"Umm, slipped my mind?"  
"Alright, pony. I'll let that one slide because I almost got the pleasure of seeing the convict blown to smithereens. Now, are there any other bombs that we should know about?" Root said, his patience waning.  
But Artemis was far ahead of their conversation. Quick as a blink he threw small rocks in equally distanced places, that, if looked at closely enough, could be seen to form an eight-point star, right in front of the landing leading to the staircase. Half a second later the small bombs on which the rocks had landed exploded. The group was far enough away that they were only hit with chunks of debris.  
"Artemis! You could have gotten yourself along with others killed. What were you thinking?" Butler hissed.  
"It would have had to be done anyways. But you see the bombs were placed strategically so that anywhere you may have stepped near the landing would have killed you. Clever." He said smoothly avoiding the question.  
"Okay. So this criminal is smarter than he or she seems or lets on about." Trouble said, more to himself than anyone else. With that, the group advanced to the stairwell cautiously.  
  
Please review! 


	11. Chapter 9

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything.  
  
A/N~ Keep the reviews coming!  
  
Inside the Warehouse, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
"Okay, Foaly, we're at the stairwell, now what?" Trouble whispered into his communicator.  
"Oh, do we need my help now? The unappreciated genius' help now? You all should really have some more faith in me, I mean, after all, I am helping you guys keep all of you're limbs aren't I?" came his voice, sounding wounded.  
"Hurry up, pony. We don't have time for your whining. Now just tell us what to do next or I swear to Frond I'll cut your budget in half." Root growled.  
"Fine, fine. No need to get testy, Julius. Now, I've scanned the premises and there are four people in a room below, in a sub-basement sort of thing and one in another room. The four don't appear to be armed with any mechanical weapons but I really can't tell due to the poor reception coming from this place. The one has approximately four loaded guns on him and the room he, or of course she, is in is completely lined with metallic weapons, but once again due to bad reception I can't really tell." Foaly said smartly.  
"That still doesn't tell us what we are supposed to do, Foaly." Came Butler's exasperated voice.  
"Well if you would be ever so slightly more patient then I would tell you. Okay, on to pressing matters. Go down the steps and down a long hall to your immediate right, you will see a door. Now, this is where the one person is located. Once you get there, determine if he or she is friend or foe and then you can contact me again. Oh, and this time, there doesn't really appear to be any security. But, then again, we don't know who we are dealing with here." He concluded as he signed off.  
"Well, let's get a move on, shall we?" Mulch said in a singsong kind of way.  
They slowly made their way down the steps, Butler in the lead in case of any impending danger. Each one had their weapons drawn, even Artemis and Mulch, although no one was sure where he got a weapon. But Artemis had a sneaking suspicion that he pick-pocketed one from Commander Root.  
Trouble had a bad feeling about this hallway they were in. And, need I remind you that fairy intuition is never wrong. He could sense something bad was getting ready to happen. "Foaly, are you sure there aren't any bombs in this hall?" he whispered into his communicator.  
"If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, there are no bombs in this hallway. Need I remind you that you need to have more faith in me." He said back, so that only he could hear. Trouble nodded in silent thanks even though Foaly couldn't see him from the angle his helmet-cam was pointing at. With his confidence renewed he stepped forward and bumped head on into Artemis.  
"Fowl? Why the hell did you stop? We don't have time for you to be enjoying the scenery." He snapped irritably. No one else had stopped, so what's the problem with this kid, or is he just scared, Trouble thought.  
"Did you hear that?" Artemis said shakily.  
"Hear what, Artemis?" Butler questioned. He was not going to keep going without listening to his charge. He preferred to stay alive.  
"That." By this time the whole company had stopped walking and were listening intently to whatever he was trying to point out. "There it is again. It sounds like a groaning type noise. Like something is about to give way."  
Mulch walked over next to Artemis to see what all the commotion was about. "Wait. I hear it too. Sounds like it's coming from the-"  
Without finishing, everyone paled in terror as the floor gave way. The floorboards creaked then with an audible snap, they broke and the group tumbled down with them. In a split second they were all on their rears in pain.  
"Floor." Mulch breathed out, finishing his sentence.  
  
Dark Room, Somewhere in the Warehouse, Ireland  
  
How am I going to get the other to buffoons unconscious? Holly thought in dismay. They seem to be allies as they beat that Australian man. Hmm.  
She furrowed her brow as she pondered this but then, as if Frond had been listening to her thoughts the whole time, the ceiling opened up and huge, umm, somethings came hurtling down. The "somethings" landed perfectly on the two guards and knocked them unconscious right on the spot.  
Holly heard moaning and grumbling from within the rubble and knew that they were people. Whether they were there to help her or not was the question. Curse words could be heard along with sputtering and half-hearted threats.  
Then, almost out of nowhere, a horrible yell could be heard. "Darvit! Get off of me you fat, stupid convict. I swear to Frond if you don't get off of me right now Mulch Diggums, so help me Frond I'll-"  
"Mulch? Commander? Is that you?" Holly said, in a whisper at first and then louder. The yelling and death threats stopped as soon as her small voice was audible. Faces and limbs poked up from the rubble.  
"Holly!" came Foaly's overjoyed voice from Root's communicator.  
"Ho- Captain Short is that you?" said Artemis.  
"No, it's Bugs Bunny." She snapped sarcastically. Her rescue team emerged and walked, some limped, over to her.  
"Oh my Frond, Holly. You look like you've been through hell eight times over." Trouble said in awe.  
"Well don't just stand there. Get these chains off of me and heal me. Jeez, you would think that would have been your first thought." She ordered. "Oh, but before you do that, Butler, could you stun those three guys over there just to make sure they don't wake up?"  
Once all orders were carried out and Holly was helped to her feet did the rescue team looked around. After they shined their flashlights around they saw that there was a small door, encased in dirt, but a door, nonetheless. The rest of the room was really nothing to look at, just dirt walls and floor with a shattered ceiling.  
"Okay, Foaly, is it safe to exit the room and not be blown to pieces?" Root asked, overly eager to get out of the warehouse.  
"Umm, it looks pretty safe to me but, remember that other person I said was somewhere in this "fine" establishment? Well he, or she, is coming towards the room you are currently located in. I think he, or once again she, heard all of the commotion you all made. And I'm pretty sure that this particular person is quite dangerous." Foaly stated flatly.  
"It's Steven Russey, of Russey corporations. He's the kidnapper. Fairy, of course." Holly said, voice void of emotion. "And, judging as it's been about two hours, he's coming in hear to carry out his death threat to me."  
"Well, that's not good."  
  
Please review! 


	12. Chapter 10

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything.  
  
A/N~ I'm updating again, obviously. Yay! Keep the reviews coming!  
  
Dark Room, Somewhere in the Warehouse, Ireland  
  
"So what are we going to do?" someone voiced.  
"Well it is, after all, only one man. It shouldn't be too hard to kill him." Trouble replied. "But, then again, he is smarter than he seems so it may not be all that easy."  
Holly rolled her eyes. "That still doesn't give us a plan, Captain."  
Trouble looked downcast at her words. Such formalities and harsh words didn't normally have this effect on him. But when it was Holly issuing the words he just felt, so, inferior and beneath her. He had known Holly since they were in the academy, over twenty maybe even thirty years ago, and they were good friends but she just never seemed to say his name. Yet she goes and calls the mud boy by his first name and they've only known each other for a few years, and he kidnapped her for Fronds sake, he thought bitterly.  
"Foaly, how much lead is he packing?" Holly asked very strictly, immeadiatly taking the reigning position in this situation. To the LEP her question really meant 'if he starts shooting, how much damage could he do?'  
"Well, depending on how good of a shot he is, I would have to say a lot. But, in a situation like this, you never know. He is fairly tall, about Fowl's height of around five foot six or seven, so he will have an easier shot at the fairys."  
"Are you sure, Foaly? The last time I saw him he was more four foot two, and unless he had a miraculous growth spurt that can't be possible." She said with a puzzled look upon her face.  
"I'm getting a good visual of him now. What did you say he looked like?"  
"Umm, short, blonde pony-tail. Pionted ears and short height. Slight pot-belly and he was dressed in an Armani suit and a silk tie. What's this person look like?"  
"Wait one moment. Did you say an Armani suit?" Artemis questioned.  
"Yes, where's this going, Fowl?" she had a curious look on her face.  
"Are you sure it was an Armani suit?"  
"Yes, Fowl. I'm positive, I even saw the tag sticking up and it said Armani Original on it." Holly was starting to lose her temper. This long drawn-out conversation was working at the very end of her nerves. Artemis was beating-around-the-bush, so to speak.  
"Well, if that truly was an Armani," he paused as Holly grumbled about how he wasn't believing her word, "Then the Steven Russey you met could not have been a member of the people. You see, Armani is a human designer suit. Where would a fairy get that suit?"  
Holly had had it up to here with Artemis and his reason. "Maybe he likes Armani suits and, being the power-hungry rich person he is, had them stolen for himself. And, come to think of it, something similar happened to the People's technology. Allow me to tell you the story. Once upon a time, a little boy, having all his riches, decided to kidnap a fairy. He succeeded and managed to take advantage of them in the end and steal the secrets of their technology and with this knowledge he manipulated the People into saving his sorry ass time after time again."  
This time, it was Artemis' turn to feel downcast. He honestly did feel guilty about the things he had done to the People, and expecially Holly. Many a time had he put her life and job, which practically was her life, on the line for his own greedy scheames. What Holly said was vicious but true. And it made him think about how little consideration he had shown towards her, and Commander Root, Foaly, and Mulch, when she had saved his life, parents and dear friends from untimely deaths. And for the first, and hopefully last, time in his life he wanted to show his emotions and apologize to Holly and the others and do a good deed for them, like they had been doing for him.  
It was deadly silent in the room as the tension between Holly and Artemis grew. Commander Root, Foaly, Trouble, and, surprisingly, Mulch all knew not to bother Holly at a time like this. They had seen her temper flare and be stretched to its limits but right now Holly had very little self-control left and any sudden movements could prove fatal. Besides, it was slightly enjoyably for everyone, and even Butler, to see Artemis at a lose for words as Holly's raging temper was directed towards him.  
The fact that Artemis was right didn't help Holly's mood. He always seemed to be right no matter what the question asked might be. Since the day she met him, Artemis' genius had ticked her off to no end. In truth, the fact that he is indeed more intelligent than her, and by a long shot was he more intelligent, had always made her feel inferior and small. Like she didn't matter in the least bit. Ever since she had been a very little girl Holly had been told that she was smart, wether it be by neighbors, family or friends. And, as if proving this fact, she had graduated as valedictorian in her high-school. But Artemis' very demeanor always made this seem like the tinniest of all achievements.  
Sensing danger ahead Mulch changed the subject. "So, umm, what does this guy look like?"  
"Why don't you take a look at me for yourself?" came a voice from the door.  
  
Please Review! More to come soon! 


	13. Chapter 11

Disclaimer~ I do not own anything.  
  
A/N~ Keep the reviews coming!  
  
Dark room, Inside the Warehouse, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
The group looked up abruptly as the voice floated in from the doorway. Holly and Artemis had been so caught up in their argument, along with all of the others, the fight was just so captivating, that they had completely ignored Russey, or what was believed to be Russey, and his entrance. Even Foaly, who should have had his eyes on the computer monitor watching the whole thing happen.  
Butler, being the fastest one to recover, immediately lunged at Russey. His strength and momentum had his body flying almost vertical. Then the most peculiar thing happened. The group waited with baited breath for the hard, powerful smack of Butler's body against Russey's but it never came. Instead Butler collided with the cold, hard wall and made a sickening smack. You may be thinking that Butler's aim had been off a few feet or inches, but no, then you would be wrong. Butler's aim had been dead on. He flew directly through what everyone thought to be Russey's rather solid body.  
Mere seconds later and the hologram of Russey was laughing maniacally, like a mad scientist would. No one moved. They were all much too shocked to do much of anything. Butler got up gingerly and walked slowly up to Russey. He put his hand directly through Russey's head and waved it around a bit, as if checking just to make sure this was real. With all of his extensive training with Madame Ko he was still mystified at how this hologram could have fooled Foaly and his technology.  
Foaly himself had a bewildered look on his face. He was leaning forward in his custom-made hover chair with his mouth hanging wide open. This had NEVER happened before. No one had ever tricked him into believing a hologram was real. No on had ever tricked him period, with the possible exceptions of Artemis and Opal Koboi, although he still wouldn't admit to this. Besides, his technology is the best in or under the world, and there is no exception to that.  
How could a mere hologram have built in reactors so that when my equipment had a lock on to it, it seemed to give off heat like real creatures? Foaly thought to himself in utter disbelief. There is no possible way! Unless...(A/N~ I'm not sure it the ellipses thing is working so bear with me.)  
"Opal Koboi." He breathed out, barely audible. She is the only person on the planet, with the possible exception of Artemis, that could fool him in this way. And besides, what would Russey want with Holly? It's not like she ever did anything to him. But she did do something to Koboi. She got her arrested and threw her into Howlers Peak, personally. Of course Koboi would have something against her. Why hadn't I seen this sooner, Foaly thought to himself, silently berating himself for his less than genius outlook on this whole situation.  
As soon as Foaly had uttered that name a thin gap in the ceiling opened and a large plasma screen slowly dropped down. This was no ordinary plasma screen, oh no. This was a Koboi original.  
Within seconds the screen turned itself on and Opal's face appeared, and she was wearing the biggest smile you would ever see.  
"I expected more out of you, Foaly. It took you that long to figure it out that it was me behind this whole plot. Oh dear. You are definitely losing your touch. And look, the gangs all here. Isn't it lovely to be reunited once again?" she said all in an all to perky way.  
Commander Root had gone from a bad mood to, well let's just say that if this were a cartoon, his head would have popped off and would have steam coming from his ears. His blood pressure was so high at the moment it was a miracle he was still alive. Root had been mad before but right now he was infuriated. She had finally been settling down in her cell and now THIS! This is going to cost her eight thousand years in prison at the very least, Root's mind raged.  
"Oh, hello, Commander. It's nice to see you again. You really should have your blood pressure looked at, your complexion is absolutely frightful." Opal said in a mock concerned way. This comment only added to Root's blood pressure.  
Artemis' mind was racing. For one of the first times in his life, he was dumbfounded. He himself would have never guessed that the mastermind behind this was HER! It didn't seem possible. Besides she was supposed to be in jail. And someone had told him that she was under the tightest security known to the People, Artemis thought.  
"Alright. I supposed I've kept you nitwits in suspense for just too long. You see, unlike your pathetic holograms, Foaly, mine can actually take on physical form. And then with the touch of a button, I can turn them back into regular hologram that can't feel or be felt. Aren't I just so smart?" she explained, utterly and totally delighted with her own genius.  
Suddenly it dawned on Artemis. If she could make a figure that represented Steven Russey act and be tangible then she could make a simulation of herself. That's more than likely the way she, or should we say her hologram, got out of jail. She probably hadn't even been there the whole time she was plotting out her takeover of Haven. She was probably in some safe house far, far away from Haven during that time. She might have a whole ARMY of holograms of herself, Artemis thought to himself.  
Butler whipped out his Sig Saucer and blew up the screen with one shot. It wasn't like anyone wanted to hear Opal gloat about how she tricked them into walking straight into a trap.  
Nobody really noticed the hologram of Russey anymore, that was, of course, until he started shooting. In a split second Butler had picked Artemis up and flung him behind the fairies as they took out their guns and started to fire. But they couldn't sink a single shot. He kept changing from solid, so that he could shoot at them, then back to a hologram when they shot at him. It was virtually impossible to shoot him.  
Artemis started dialing a number on his cell phone. Holly paused for a moment as she looked back at him. What in hell is he doing? Calling his dry-cleaners? Holly thought. Soon Foaly's voice was drifting through Trouble's communicator, "Holly, pull back and talk to Fowl!" His voice came swift and urgent. Knowing she shouldn't argue at a time like this she did as she was told and pulled back and dropped to the floor where Fowl was lying.  
"What?" she hissed, rather impolitely.  
"I know how you can defeat the hologram." Artemis whispered, somewhat timidly.  
"Well start talking, it's not like I have time for this." She snapped back.  
At her sharp remark he felt a little rejected. Like the feeling you get when you are picked last in gym class, which happened to him quite frequently. "The second he turns solid, which is when he goes to shot, that's when you need to shot him. That way he'll be solid and the bullet will kill him."  
Holly gave a small nod and was about to get up when Artemis grabbed her arm. "Be careful," he whispered. Holly got up and if you had looked really carefully, you would have seen a slight smile on her face.  
  
A/N~ And the plot thickens! LoL. Keep reviewing and tell me what you think. 


	14. Chapter 12

Disclaimer~ I do not own anything.  
  
A/N~ Keep reviewing to all of those that do.  
  
Dark room, Inside the Warehouse, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
Holly ran over and stood behind Trouble as she aimed her Neutrino with precision only a recon officer would have. The hologram aimed to fire as well. When he pulled the trigger Holly mimicked his actions and fired as well, but Russey was just too quick. She couldn't gat a shot in fast enough. She tried again and again and again but had no luck whatsoever. Whatever he was shooting was so much faster than her gun. Must be a Kobio model, Holly thought bitterly.  
As time progressed she became faster and would only miss him by a small fraction of a second but he also became aware of what she was trying to do. He seemed to sense that she knew how to destroy him and couldn't get that information out to the others for lack of time. And everyone knows that to keep information from leaking out, you have to destroy the holder.  
Holly was getting frustrated she really couldn't get the best shot out from behind Trouble's broad shoulders. Not that there's anything bad with broad shoulders. So she stepped out carefully, always keeping her guard up accept when she heard a small cry of pain.  
Anyone from back in the Accademy would have been utterly ashamed of her for what she did then. Holly dropped her guard to see where the yelp had come from and she turned completely around! She had her whole back exposed as she stood shell shocked as she saw Artemis wince in pain. He had been hit in his shoulder and a steady flow of blood was pouring down the side of his arm as he lay withered in agony on the floor. The bullet must have flown past Root to hit him at that angle, directly from Russey.  
Artemis wasn't even crying, he hadn't even shed one tear. Holly knew from experience that it took a lot not to cry when shot, because it hurt like hell. Why would Russey even want to shot Artemis, Holly thought to herself. Then it hit her. Litterally.  
A bullet hit her close to her shoulderblade and the pain spread from there. But she knew she couldn't sit down and bawl her eyes out even if she wanted to. Right now she had to save all of their lives. They were all counting on her.  
Holly winced in pain as she whipped around and pulled her gun out in front of her. Frond did it hurt. But that wasn't her first priority. So she aimed and pulled the trigger, not caring if he was a hologram then or not. But, to her's and everyones amazement, at that very moment Russey had turned solid so that he could finish her off and the bullet flew true to its course and hit him square between the eyes. His death was instant and he fell to the floor with a soft thud.  
As the group smiled in delight Holly winced in pain. She dropped to her knees. The bullet had hit a major artery. This was one of the few things she never forgot from when she was in elementary school. And, as mentioned earlier, she barely had enough magic left to heal a papercut. This wound would take at least three mediworlocks to heal completely and they would have to be right there on the spot. If this wasn't healed immeadiatley, death would be inevitable.  
Artemis' wound could be taken care of quickly and it wouldn't take to much magic. Although to him it felt like he was going to die. The pain was unbearable. But as Holly dropped down in front of him with her back to him and he saw her wound, his pain seemed to disappear. He had been studied some fairy anatomy before his mind-wipe and he knew she had been hit in a major artery. It was so sad too. Holly was the picture of healthy and fit and at the ripe age of eighty-six she could die. At a good spot in her career where she is a captain and well respected by almost everyone in the LEP, along with himself. It was horrible.  
Artemis knew the pain of losing a friend, even though his friend had been brought back to life, but Foaly didn't. He had never had a friend die, or in this case, close to death. Foaly really didn't have many friends and Holly was one of his few. She was like the sister he never had, the friend he could confide in, and someone that protected him and made him feel safe. Holly was all of that and more to him. Besides Root, she was his only friend, and he wouldn't go so far as to consider Artemis and Butler his friends. They were more like allies.  
The Commander, Butler, and Mulch were all stunned. First and foremost, Holly had been shot and couldn't heal herself. Secondly, Artemis had been shot as well, but his wound wasn't nearly as serious as Holly's was. She had given up a defensive position just to see if Artemis was alright? That took guts because now she may die from the mistake she just made.  
Feeling left out Artemis began to get more selfish than usual. No one, not even Butler, for christ's sake, was looking at him, making sure he was alright. I had only been shot and now I'm loosing blood at a rapid speed, he thought bitterly. He immeadiatley regretted his thoughts. He would live, but Holly...well, it was better not thinking about it.  
Trouble ran over, anger in his eyes. How dare he shoot her, kept running through his mind. By now Holly had fallen onto her stomach and her eyes were shut in agony. But she didn't make a single sound. Trouble felt an overwhelming sense of pride for Holly. Not only had she been shot in a vital area but she still fought. It was amazing. She was amazing. All Trouble wanted to do was drop down on his knee's and hold her while he cried but he had to much pride to do something as shameful as that, even if someone he truly cared for was dying.  
Holly's vision was starting to go. Everything was starting to blur and go dark. Someone picked her up and was carrying her to the door but she really couldn't tell who it was, but it wasn't like she cared. All she knew was that she was dying and there was nothing anyone could do about it.  
  
A/N~ Will she live or die? Nobody knows! Hahaha. Keep reviewing and tell me what you think. 


	15. Chapter 13

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything.  
  
A/N~ Please keep reviewing!  
  
Dark room, Inside the Warehouse, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
Everyone seemed frozen in time. A few seconds ago Captain Short had passed out from her fatal wound and now the rest of the group stood still, racking their brains for ways to save Holly. But all anyone knew was that for right now they had to get out of there.  
As Holly passed out Trouble had picked her up and cradled her in his arms like a baby and had started running towards the exit. Everyone else followed suit although, Artemis needed help getting up due to his wound. The groups soon found a staircase, using Foaly's help even though they wouldn't admit it, and made their way back out of the warehouse the way they had come in. Soon they were back at the Bentley.  
Nothing had changed since they were last there but Butler still did his bomb check anyway, you can never be too safe, right? By the time they were all settled down in the car Foaly could clearly be heard sobbing from the OP's booth.  
"Pull yourself together, man!" said Root, in a rather exasperated voice. "Now, before you completely fall apart, tell us where the nearest place is that we can perform the Ritual."  
"Oh, okay." Sniff. " Umm, it's about ten minutes from where you all are right now. Just take the road that you got here on all the way south. It will end at a bend in the river where an oak tree is. You can do it there."  
"Okay. Ten minutes you said? Fleur it, Butler. We need to get there in as little time as possible." Root commanded in an authorative voice.  
"Alright. Buckle up." Came Butler's solemn and grave voice from the drivers seat.  
  
At the End of the Road, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
Trouble was still gripping Holly as if his survival depended on it. He looked slightly teary-eyed and tired but you could see the determination to save Holly in his eyes burning. He would have done anything to help Holly at this moment, anything.  
Butler pulled up to the end of the road and halted the Bentley silently and stepped out cautiously. You never know who may be waiting for you around a bend, especially in a situation like this, with enemies all around. Within second he spotted the large, mighty oak standing proud and tall amongst younger, smaller birches. It appeared to be rather majestic and grand, with it's foliage green, and thick, it's branches swaying softly in the evening breeze, and the furry, little woodland creatures running all around it, playing merrily with each other. It was just like something you would see in a storybook for young children. The peace around the tree made Butler want to forget his duties and impending dangers, but he knew that there are lives to save and he mustn't dawdle.  
As the others filed out of the Bentley, Butler made busy trying to find some acorns that the fairies could use for their Rituals. The Ritual is an ancient duty that replenishes fairies magical powers. He had seen a few Rituals but mainly for minor things, cuts and small wounds and severed fingers, even though to him that wasn't considered minor. He didn't see the major healing that Holly had preformed on him but he could imagine that to bring someone back from the dead it must have taken great effort.  
After he had found a few acorns he brought them back to the tree where the fairies were waiting, patiently would not have been a good word to describe them though. Trouble was standing up cradling Holly in his arms as he looked around anxiously. Commander Root, on the other hand, was showing his impatience through tapping his foot on the ground in a quick rhythm as his complexion got redder and redder and redder. He knew that time was ticking, and running out quickly, for that matter.  
As Commander Root was handed the acorns he said, "Kelp, I want you and me to do the Ritual first and then we will have Captain Short do it. That way while she is automatically healing herself we will have magic enough to give her an extra shot so she can get more healed quicker. Okay?"  
Trouble just nodded. He wasn't really listening to anything the Commander had to say. It really wasn't his main focus at the moment. His main was focus was to save Holly. At the moment he felt oddly cold. Like all of the emotion had been sucked out of him. This must be what it feels like to be Artemis, devoid of emotion, he thought.  
He finally regrouped himself from his thoughts and he and the Commander plunged their arms into the soil whilst holding the acorns. They said the incantation and soon he could feel the tiny blue sparks surging into his body, filling him with momentary joy. To be revitalized in such a way always lifted his spirits, no matter how awful his situation was. The magic coursed through his body, opening every pore, and going through every last body part. He took a deep breath when it ended, as did Root, as the excitement of the Ritual started to die down.  
Even Artemis was excited, even though he didn't show it, as the pair preformed the Ritual successfully. No matter how many times he saw it done he still couldn't get over the wondrous effect it all had on him. Sometimes he felt jealous that he wasn't born a fairy and so he couldn't do the Ritual. But then his knowledge of all the rules and limits the possession of magic had come back to him and he stopped wishing. Dealing with the severity of the situation at hand there was not any time for silly, childish dreams.  
Seconds after he had preformed the Ritual, Commander Root grabbed Holly from where Trouble had laid her down. He roughly shoved an acorn in her hand and plunged it into the ground forcefully, just as he had done back in the Artic when her finger had been severed. Well this brings back memories, it's just like having déjà vu, he thought. Ironic, isn't it?  
Soon, a massive wave of blue sparks seemed to engulf Holly. They jumped across her tanned skin so quickly it seemed that Holly's skin was alight with blue fire. After approximately three minutes the sparks died down until only a lone two or three could be seen.  
Knowing how much energy is released during a healing the humans and Mulch backed away about a hundred or so feet. Commander Root and Trouble ran to Holly as fast as their two legs would carry them. They got down on their hands and knees and put their fingertips to Holly. Simultaneously they said 'heal' and they pushed their magic to the limit as they forced it into Holly's body. After they had done all that hey could do, they ran back to the others and waited. And waited. And waited.  
After what seemed like an eternity, Holly started to jerk. First it was just her fingertips and then her toes right on down to her pointed ears. Soon she flew up into the air in violent thrashings as she jerked and twisted from side to side in painful convulsions. After watching two minutes of this horror, Artemis had to turn away. It looked like an invisible person was torturing her. It was all too gruesome for him. It was hard enough having to see one of his only friends be shot, but then to have to witness an almost tortures healing was overwhelming.  
Then, it stopped. Holly's limp, pale form fell to the ground with a soft thud. Artemis leaped to his feat and ran to Holly, the others not too far behind him. He rushed over and knelt by her as he lifted her head up off the ground. Slowly, Holly opened her eyes just enough to see Artemis' overjoyed face. Without a second thought he pulled her into a warm hug that seemed to never end.  
When Artemis did this Trouble was overcame with jealousy. Not only had he gotten to her before he had but now he was holding her in an almost loving fashion. This infuriated Trouble. He had never liked Artemis Fowl but now he loathed him something terrible.  
  
Holly couldn't tell what was going on. Last thing she could remember was fainting in Troubles arms and now, here she was, with Artemis hugging her. Wait a minute. Artemis hugging her? That just didn't sound right. But even with all of the confusion in her mind she numbly wrapped her arms around his frame gently. What do you know, I'm alive, she thought with a slight smile.  
  
A/N~ She didn't die! I wouldn't do that to you all anyway. I'm not that mean, even though my friends say I am. Please review and tell me what you think! 


	16. Chapter 14

Disclaimer~ I do not own anything.  
  
A/N~ Thanks for reviewing. Did you all like the last chapter? I know I did. Well of course I would, I wrote it! But tell me what you think.  
  
At the End of the Road, Somewhere in Ireland  
  
Root exhaled deeply. It wasn't everyday someone like a daughter to you almost died and then was healed in a miraculous process. He would like to show his joy but that would be very unprofessional. And no matter what, he would never go so far as to embrace her like Fowl had. What has been getting into him lately, he thought. Must be those damn teenage hormones.  
Butler was utterly, utterly shocked. Artemis had shown emotion before but hardly ever in this quantity. The only other time he had seen such emotion coming from Artemis was when he found out that his father was all right and going to live. But, this was Holly Short. He had heard from Foaly that her nickname in the LEP, although she didn't know it, was Kick-your- butt-Short. Someone who would punch a person for touching her in such a way. But, what shocked him the most, was that she wasn't doing a single thing to stop him. She was embracing him back, and she was even smiling! What had gotten into her lately?  
Holly lifted her head slightly. Was it starting to rain or something? Because her shoulder was getting wet. Nothing else was getting wet though. That's odd, she thought. Then the answer came to her. It was not raining, Artemis was crying into her shoulder. Wait, what? This day just keeps getting stranger and stranger, she thought.  
Artemis was embarrassed. He had never, with the possible exception of when he found out that his father was alive, lost hold over his emotions. He had snapped, or so to speak. He embraced Holly and then started sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder. From now on it would be like pulling teeth to look the others in the eye without feeling shame, or having them snicker, but with Holly it will be even harder. He would feel extremely awkward whenever he was around her from now on. This whole thing was just so embarrassing!  
Trouble was mentally kicking himself. I should be the one holding her, he thought stubbornly. Just without the whole crying business. I should have gotten to her first and not some annoying, pale, irritating little mud-child. This whole thing wasn't fair. I'm the one who cares about her, not him! Or does he?  
After realizing what he had done, Artemis stopped crying and lifted his head and let go of Captain Short. He stood up swiftly and stepped back, while simultaneously helping Holly up off the ground. Gingerly he rubbed his eyes and wiped away his tears. Without a second glance he started to make his way back to the Bentley.  
Everyone exchanged nervous glances before following him to the car. There was not anymore business left to conduct here so they might as well be on their way. By the time everyone was settled into the large car an awkward silence settled in the car. Not a single person, fairy or human, moved or made a sound. Even Foaly, who could move around and make noise freely didn't, it just was not the time for something like that. But the silence had to be broken by someone, and who better to come up with a silence breaker than Foaly.  
"So. Now that we, umm, have that covered let's move on to where we can find Koboi." Foaly practically spat her name as if it left a horrible taste in his mouth. He was still angry at the comment Commander Root had made a year or so back that if they had not have had Fowl, then Koboi would have beaten them. That comment had hit a nerve in Foaly. What had been the most disappointing was the piece of information had been true. And Foaly didn't like being a runner up when it came to who had the best technology under the Earth.  
"You are the genius, pony boy. We pay you to come up with ideas, so start thinking, unless, of course, you're still too shaken by Fowl's water- work display." Commander Root said gruffly. Even if Commander Root hadn't noticed it but his comment had had a double-sided sting to it. First of all it insulted Foaly's intelligence by suggesting he hadn't been thinking. The most obvious part of the sting was that directed to Artemis. When a little boy cries it's embarrassing, but when a boy in his teens or older cries, it's downright disgraceful and shameful.  
At his words Artemis' complexion turned the rosy red of a blush. Root had half expected Butler to turn around from the drivers seat and give him a stern look of disapproval but Butler didn't do anything to suggest he didn't like what Root had done. In fact what he did was quite the opposite. Butler had a small smile on his face because he knew that Artemis was finally getting told off for doing something and that Artemis knew that he wouldn't do a thing about it. Artemis didn't even come back with a comeback. Boy, was he sure losing his touch.  
"Well, for your information I was thinking about what we could do to track Koboi. What you all would need to do would be to go into Koboi labs. It has been abandoned for a while now so you won't have to dodge any goblins or anything this time. She would have more than likely left behind some DNA, in a strand of hair or a piece of skin or a drop of blood. Just get anything of hers and bring it to the OP's booth. That way I'll be able to use my new invention, you know, the one I used to find Holly with. So do that and then we will figure out the rest." He concluded smartly.  
"Which way are we going to get in from?" Butler asked.  
"Well we can't get in from the main entrance or any of the side entrances." Mulch said, while gaining a harsh glare from the Commander. "So that narrows it down to the way we went in last time."  
"So we have to fly in the shuttle's again?" Butler asked, praying for a 'no'.  
"We won't have to fly that piece of crap this time. We'll have a better shuttle, designed for those things." Root said, remembering their last trip to Koboi labs.  
"Can I drive?" It was the first thing Holly had said since she had been healed and she sounded so hopeful and full of enthusiasm, just like a small child waiting for Santa to come down their chimney. The thought of flying a shuttle again but the light back into her eyes and a rosy glow back into her cheeks.  
"No." Commander Root grunted.  
"Why not?" Holly whined.  
"Because, Short. You just got healed from major magical surgery so you are not fit to fly a shuttle. I will."  
"But, that's not fair. You just got done performing extensive magical surgery and so did Trouble, so that only leaves me who can fly a bird." Holly defended her position, fire in her eyes.  
"I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT FAIR, SHORT! SO QUIT YOUR BELLYACHING AND SHUT UP! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Root exploded.  
"You know, Julius. She is correct. So she should fly." Foaly interjected, and if anyone could have seen him he had a smug smile on his face. One of his favorite hobbies was telling the Commander that he was incorrect.  
Root was fuming. He hated it when the pony said he was wrong, and that's exactly why Foaly did it. His face was a lovely hue of deep purple and several large veins could be seen protruding from his face and neck.  
"FINE!"  
Holly smiled, I won, yay!  
"It's off to Tara we go." She said.  
  
A/N~ So what did you think? Please review. 


	17. Chapter 15

Disclaimer~ I do not own anything.  
  
A/N~ Keep reviewing. I want to try and reach the one hundred mark, so please review!  
  
On the Way to Tara, Ireland  
  
It was going to be a long drive to Tara. About ten minutes ago Mulch decided to start singing some stupid mud man song. The worst part was that it never seemed to end because he only knew the first sentence or two.  
"She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes! She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes! She'll comin' round the mountain, she'll be comin' round the mountain, she'll be comin' round the mountain when she- "  
"SHUT UP!" Root screamed in frustration. First of all, he hated, and when I say hated I mean hated, this song. Second of all he couldn't hear himself think, that was how loud Mulch was singing, but what everyone else would call croaking noises from a dying animal. And lastly, he had a very splitting headache that wasn't improving his mood too much.  
"Julius, I thought that it would be nice to have some lovely music on this boring car ride." Mulch said, all too politely.  
"You can't carry a tune in a bucket and even Foaly can do that. And he is horrible." Holly exclaimed.  
"Well why don't you sing for them. I know that you can sing." Came Foaly's voice from Troubles helmet mike.  
"I can not."  
"Oh, yes you can. Whenever you fall asleep in the OP's booth you sing under your breath in your sleep. And besides I had your mother send me some lovely home movies of you when you were in the choir." Foaly said, he was loving Holly's embarrassment. By this time Holly had gone red in the face and the whole group was smiling, even Artemis.  
"Frond I hate her." Could be heard as Holly muttered some very colorful language under her breath.  
"Since mine is so bad why don't you sing for us." Mulch suggested with a coy grin on his face. Holly was extremely embarrassed. It wasn't like she had wanted to be in the stupid choir but her mom had made her do it.  
Artemis sensed her tremendous mortification. It was only a few minutes ago that it was he who was the embarrassed one. "I give you permission to stun him, Captain Short." Artemis whispered barely audible.  
Holly heard him, due to the People's keen hearing and vision, and was up in a flash with her buzz baton in hand. Quicker than lightening Holly unbuckled Mulch's seatbelt and pushed him forward so that she could get a good shot at his rear. She did and the yelp he made was so loud that Holly was sure everyone from America to Singapore had heard him.  
Holly was now in a good mood. Mulch was rubbing his rather large rear while looking at Holly like a hurt puppy would.  
"I thought we were past all of this, Holly. I mean, I aspect this sort of behavior from the Commander but not from you. Do you realize how much that hurt? What setting did you have it on? Kill?" Mulch said indignantly.  
"It was on the lowest setting possible but if you would like me to put it on kill it would be my pleasure." Holly said with authority. Mulch pouted some more but finally turned around and buckled his seat belt while muttering something about insane females with power and weapons. Holly smirked a little more when Mulch yelped as he tried to sit down but couldn't so he had to sit on his side in the most awkward position. This turn in events really helped Commander Root's temper. He was smiling like Christmas had come early this year. Something he loved more than yelling was seeing the convict in pain.  
Butler was just shaking his head softly as he drove down the rode. Sometime they can really act like children when they want to, he thought in amusement. Captain Short can be so immature sometimes.  
The rest of the ride to Tara was quiet because Mulch truly was terrified of Holly when she had a weapon, so technically she constantly frightened him, and no one else really felt like speaking. After all, they did have a long journey ahead of them and everyone except Holly was dreading the ride to Koboi labs, even if she was a professional.  
  
Tara, Shuttle Port, Underground, Ireland  
  
There were not any scheduled shuttles or LEP shuttles that they could hop a ride on. The only ones there were privately owned and operated ones belonging to the richest of the rich in Haven, in other words, they couldn't touch them. After Foaly explained this to them they all looked downhearted, all except Mulch, that is.  
"Well darn. I was looking so forward to a ride in one of those going ten million miles an hours. Oh well." Mulch said with mock sorrow. Everyone thought he was correct, that is, until they looked at Holly's face and saw her 'thinking face' on. Mulch's eyes widened as he knew she had some half- baked plan up her sleeve. Holly was staring thoughtfully at the fastest model shuttle ever invented, not even the LEP could afford one of those bad boys. She had never even seen one up close, that's how expensive they were. She had always wondered what it would be like to fly one of them.  
Artemis didn't like the way she was looking at that shuttle and neither did anyone else.  
"We could always 'borrow' one." She said thoughtfully.  
"Short, that goes against almost all regulations and besides it would be stealing." Root said indignantly.  
"We would return it. And besides even if it does get damaged someone rich enough to afford one would be able to buy another one." Holly was making a lot of sense. Even if the person could afford a new one their insurance would no doubt pay for it a hundred times over.  
"You can't be serious." Came Artemis' astounded voice from the rear of the group. " How, do you suppose, we'll get into it? They probably have a high tech security system on it. Besides a civilian would have the speed locked so it won't go as fast as we need it to go."  
Holly rolled her eyes. " Well of course it will have a security system but that where you and Foaly come in. I can take care of the speed lock and make it go a whole hell of a lot faster by adjusting a few wires." Holly smiled knowingly. " Okay, I'll need someone to go get me those tools over there by that bench. Butler, you and Root stand watch and make sure nobody is coming our way. The press would have a field day if they saw officers breaking into private property." No one moved. "Well come on we don't have all day." The others looked at Root and he slowly nodded his head, giving silent permission to do as she said.  
Using his beard, Mulch was able to open the doors so Holly could get in. Artemis disabled all security systems with the pressing of a few buttons. Holly pressed a few buttons as well, disabling the speed lock. She was about to move outside to make the engine go faster when Artemis spoke to her. "Is that really necessary? I'm sure it goes plenty fast enough. Besides you're just wasting time on it when we could be caught any second."  
"Artemis, I know how these things work and it will take me a matter of seconds to make it go up to three or four hundred miles per hour faster. Plus, you'll thank me when we use this ship to outrun some flares and, by the time we get to Koboi, some warships possibly." Artemis knew that she was right but he got the sneaking suspicion that she had always wanted to do something like this. Reckless and dangerous.  
True to her word, Holly was done in a matter of seconds and they were all boarding the ship. Holly looked ecstatic as she sat down in the pilots seat and grabbed onto the controls. The others were not sharing the joy Holly had, as they were about to be flying in the fastest craft in the world with one of the most dangerous pilots steering. 


	18. Chapter 16

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything. AN~ Sorry I haven't updated in a really, really long time. Please review.\The more reviews, the faster the next chapter gets posted.  
  
In the Shuttle, Haven, Underground  
  
Holly was excited. She knew that flying this shuttle was going to be a blast. If the others knew what she had done they probably would have gotten off. Unbeknownst to her fellow riders, while she was disabling some locks she didn't tell Artemis about, she tweaked the engine a little.  
Many years ago, Holly had worked part-time in an equivalent to a car shop trying to put herself through college. So she knew a thing or two about cars and their engines. She knew how to keep a shuttle going fast, and how to make one go above the legal speed limit a shuttle could fly. Because this ship was already the fastest shuttle ever created its speed was above the legal limit.  
Holly had crossed a few wires and shifted some gears. With a shot of magic (also illegal if used on a shuttle) the shuttle could now go almost double of its original speed. Holly smirked. That's fast enough to yank the pants off any gnome, Holly thought smugly. And Frond knows how tight they were their pants.  
"Captain. Captain? Are we going to get going anytime soon?" Artemis said while waving his hand in front of her face in a rather undignified manner. Holly immediately snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head.  
"Get back in the designated passenger area before I buzz you with my baton into oblivion." Holly snapped. She could get the temper of a junkyard dog defending its territory when she was flying a shuttle. Artemis didn't need to be told twice. He had seen how violent Holly could get when provoked.  
"No need to get an attitude." He mumbled as he started to make his way back to his seat. The fact that fairies have sensitive hearing must have slipped his mind, and he immediately regretted speaking those words. Quick as lightning, Holly had whipped around and grabbed Artemis' shirt collar. She gripped it just right so that he couldn't breathe, much less speak. In one move she pulled him down so that their faces were only inches apart.  
"Listen up, Fowl. I don't need your attitude while I'm driving. Don't give me a reason to conveniently run this shuttle into a wall so that we all die. 'Cuz I've had it up to here with you and your snappy remarks. I'm sick and tired of it. And let me just remind you that one day, when you are old and weaker, Butler won't be there to save your narrow behind." Holly hissed in warning. Artemis' face showed no emotion but Holly could see the fear in his eyes. Lucky for her that Butler was engrossed in a deep conversation with the Commander on which weapon is most effective for hunting duck. Holly let go of Artemis and pushed him back into the passenger area.  
He knew what she said was true. By the time he was old and gray Butler would have to face the inevitable. Holly would still look as young as she is now. In a way she could use that to her advantage. In a way, her youthfulness is a way of escaping the harsh realities of time compared to the human race. She would then be able to get her revenge without Butler there to stop, or attempt to stop, her.  
It would be wise to keep the fairies, especially Holly, as allies. So that, if they even cared by that time, he would have someone to protect him when Butler could not. Surely he would still have enemies, unless he went completely straight, which would never happen. No matter how much he tried to fool himself he would always be a criminal at heart.  
  
Trouble had seen Holly's little attack on the Fowl boy. He smirked. Holly was finally acting the way he had always thought that she acted around Fowl. The comment she made was rather cruel. Of course, it was always better when Holly was thinking about Fowls demise than rather about him in other ways for Trouble. This meant that he had a shot with her because now his suspicions that she had feelings for Fowl were all gone. Oh Frond, he thought. I'm starting to think like Chix now.  
"Are we going to get this show on the road anytime soon, Short?" a voice barked. It was Commander Root, of course.  
"Yes, sir." She said through gritted teeth. Holly just wasn't in the mood to be yelled at, at the moment. She put the key into ignition and heard the engine rev up. "Oh, I'll get the show on the road, Commander. Much more than you or anyone wants me to." She whispered quietly. Holly used all the strength she possessed in her leg as she pressed down on the gas. She didn't even bother memorizing which side of the gas pedal the brakes were on. It wasn't like she was going to use them, right?  
Within three seconds the shuttle had gone from zero to three hundred sixty miles per hour. Holly could hear sounds of furniture crashing to the floor mixed with disgruntled shouts of surprise. The shear speed had Holly firmly pressed back in the drivers seat. Holly dared a glance in the mirror. The first thing she saw was Fowl. I've never seen anyone look so green, she thought. At least without throwing u-  
As if hearing her thoughts, on cue Artemis threw up into a trashcan that was secured next to him. He didn't have to wait long to stop feeling like a pansy because seconds later Trouble barfed. Sadly he missed the trashcan.  
Holly pulled down into a dive and then a loop-de-loop. The disgusting bile was guided into the trashcan thanks to Holly's superb piloting skills. It was a shame this was making the others sick or she would have done more acrobatics.  
"Stop, please stop." Artemis muttered weakly as he clutched his stomach. Others nodded in agreement vigorously.  
"Aw. Is poor, little Artemis losing his composure?" she said sweetly. He nodded hastily. "And because this doesn't happen very often I don't really want it to end." She laughed, obviously enjoying his discomfort.  
"Short, if you don't slow down I'll have your badge." Root shouted.  
"Actually, Commander, at this rate you probably won't make it to the fissure leading to Koboi labs in time. If you don't make it today we will have to wait a whole week." Came Foaly's voice from someone's helmet, no one really caring at this moment whose. Several moans could be heard from the back. Holly smirked.  
"Then I better go faster." To everyone's obvious displeasure three hundred sixty miles per hour wasn't as fast as the shuttle could go. Holly pushed harder on the gas till the speed was somewhere over four hundred. She came to a part where they would be going completely vertical going down. Holly decided to have a little fun.  
Core diving is illegal and she had had a few suspensions due to it. But, since Commander Root had blacked out a few seconds ago, she didn't think he would mind. She floored the gas pedal and she spun the shuttle like a twister straight out of hell. The group's screams of terror were mixed with Holly's enthusiastic laugh.  
"Record this, Foaly. I have a feeling I'm going to break Root's record!" she shouted into the helmet mike. She had been trying to beat his record for ages. Everyone knew that, even if he didn't show it, Root took great pleasure in the fact that she couldn't beat his core diving record. And Holly is the best.  
Holly risked a look in the mirror and saw Mulch screaming his head off. His scream was only rivaled by Artemis'. Butler and Trouble were just gripping their seats so hard that their knuckles were white. She was going to have such fun making fools of them later. Holly maneuvered her helmet- cam so that it faced the pathetically frightened group.  
"Save this film, Foaly." She said mischievously.  
"I, I, Captain!" he confirmed in glee. Oh the blackmail he could create using this film. Maybe if I crop it so that nobody sees anything but Artemis, I can send it to everyone in Haven. And Ireland. Or the whole world, Foaly thought manically. That would be supreme humiliation.  
  
Operation Booth, Haven, Underground  
  
Foaly laughed out loud at his own ingenious idea. That would be all of too perfect. He would die of shame. Foaly started saving the film. He had already begun copying and cropping the bit he wanted. He looked over his work. All you could see now was Fowl screaming at the top of his lungs as tears managed to escape his tightly shuteyes.  
"Ah, I'm am so brilliant. Fowl won't know what hit him." Foaly laughed again. "If only this moment could last forever."  
"And what moment would that be?" came a woman's voice. 


	19. Chapter 17

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything. A/N~ Thanks for all the reviews. Tell me what you think about this chapter.  
  
Operations Booth, Haven, Underground  
  
I know that voice, Foaly thought. It belongs to-  
"Yes. It's me. Opal Koboi. Well aren't you going to say hello?" she said with a shrill giggle. Foaly turned around. Indeed, it was her. Whether it was the real her or one of her holographic clones, he didn't know.  
Foaly couldn't speak. It was impossible. How did she get in? Ever since the last time she had managed to mess up his system he had become, as Holly puts it, more paranoid when it came to security. There was no way that she could have gotten in without knowing all the passwords and codes. The only people that could get in were Holly and Root if they had their security passes. (AN~ that's supposed to be one of those ellipses. It hasn't been working so I don't know if it showed up properly.)  
"Fine. Don't say hello. But I'm sure you are wondering how I got in so I'll be kind enough to tell you. I planted camera's in the building and I saw that the only way a person got in hear was to have one of these." She said, dangling a security pass from her finger. "I had this one nicked off of that Captain while she was in my, uh, custody. Yes, that's what we'll call it. My custody. "  
Well that explains a lot, Foaly thought. I told Beetroot that we shouldn't have had those stupid passes anyways. Won't he be surprised?  
"Are you listening to me? It doesn't matter. But if I were you I would listen up. A few of my minions and I are going to kidnap you." She said with a smirk on her face. "And I know what you're thinking. Yes, this whole thing was a ploy to kidnap you. That idiot jock Captain was just a pawn that I was hoping to kill but I will have other chances. My scheme has worked so far. I got the best officers out of this dump so that nobody will be able to help you. Aren't I just the smartest creature in Haven?" Foaly opened his mouth to retort." That was a rhetorical question you stupid pony."  
Without giving Foaly time to insult her, Koboi snapped her fingers and five brutishly built men walked in. The were holding long pieces of rope.  
"Tie him up, boys. And bring him back to the van." Koboi commanded as she walked away and the men advanced on Foaly menacingly.  
  
Tunnel, Haven, Underground  
  
Holly was in disbelief. That D'arviting excuse for scum had stolen her security pass. Not to mention kidnapped Foaly. Rage coursed through her veins as she rounded the bend to where the fissure was. She slowed down so that they were just hovering in mid air.  
Root had just come about and he was looking rather peaky. "What the hell happened?" he questioned. Artemis opened his mouth to explain to him how many laws Holly had just broken when she shot him a tell-him-and-die look.  
"Something hit you on the head and you blacked out but we are here now so lets not dwell in the past." Holly said in a single breath. "Oh, and I have bad news."  
"Well what is it, Short?"  
"While I was driving here I had my mike on so Foaly and I could communicate. I was about to tune out when I heard a woman's voice in the background." Everyone but Artemis smiled slightly. Holly just rolled her eyes. "It was Opal Koboi or a hologram of herself. She kidnapped Foaly."  
Smiles were immediately dropped. "We still need to get into Koboi labs and find a piece of her DNA so that we can find her. Wherever she is that's where we will find Foaly. But I don't know when that fissure is going to open." Holly explained hastily.  
"Finally something I can do after that death-defying ride here." Mulch said. Root looked up suspiciously at Holly but didn't say anything.  
"Well hurry up, convict. We don't have all day." Root growled.  
"Okay, okay. It'll just take me a minute or two. Can you swing the ship around so I can feel the vibrations in the dirt? And please, no stunt work." Holly glared at Mulch but did as he said. Soon Mulch was reaching over towards the wall of dirt. Minutes of anticipation went by as the group waited. And waited. And waited.  
"Well?" Root yelled out to Mulch.  
"The fissure will open in approximately two and a half minutes. Get ready." He yelled back in response. Mulch climbed back into the shuttle and sat down panting. "It's hot out there." He responded to looks of confusion.  
"Alright, Short. Get ready to fly this piece of crap through the fissure." Commander Root said. Holly did a U-turn before anyone could sit down and buckle their seatbelts. Unfortunately, Root flew back from the speed and just happened to collide with his favorite dwarf. They were in the back of the shuttle in the most interesting position that Holly couldn't control herself from suppressed giggles. Trouble and Butler just barely managed to keep down their chuckles. Artemis only cracked a small smile.  
"GET OFF OF ME, CONVICT!" Root screeched.  
"You're the one on top of me!" Mulch managed to mutter under the Commanders, umm, substantial weight. Root realized this and immediately got off.  
"This moment never happened." Root said, embarrassed. It was too bad that Holly had a camera. Oh the blackmail, she thought giddily.  
"Get ready to go." Mulch said quietly. Holly started to rev up the engine. She could see the earth starting to churn near the fissure. Slowly a crack, getting larger and larger by the second, appeared. Then it started to get smaller.  
"What's happening?" Holly shouted.  
"That's as big as it's going to get. GO!" Mulch yelled. Holly floored the gas and they zoomed through the fissure. The opening closed just as they made it through. Holly turned off the engine.  
"Now we can't get out!" she yelled in frustration.  
"That's not true, Captain. When we get into Koboi labs there will, undoubtedly, be some form of exit. We will just have to leave this shuttle." Artemis said calmly and rationally.  
"And what do you suppose we get back to the Operations Booth on? A magic carpet? Or how about a broom?" Holly retorted, her patience beginning to wan.  
"I'm sure there will be some form of transportation we can use to get to the LEP Headquarters."  
"You better hope that you're right, Fowl. Because personally I don't want to be stuck for a week in Koboi labs." She snapped in anger. There he went again, acting all superior, Holly thought.  
"Let's just stop the arguing. The sooner we start the sooner we get out of here." Butler said. Artemis was shocked. Did Butler just reprimand him? That's preposterous. He wouldn't do that. Even if most of the comment was directed toward Captain Short. He couldn't remember a time when Butler had told him to do something if they weren't in a life-threatening situation. This had to be a first.  
"Right. Let's get a move on." Root nodded curtly. The group put on their LEP helmets. Even Butler and Artemis had ones (Foaly had given them their own for now. You never know when they may need them on this little adventure.) Mulch stepped out first and he ran back to the shuttle in glee.  
"The path we used last time is still here. This will be a synch." Mulch smiled.  
"We have to go through that, again?" Artemis inwardly groaned. It was disgusting the first time. He never wanted to do it again. Ever.  
"How did you think we were going to get in this time? Walk on a magical bed of roses?" Holly quirked a questioning eyebrow up while asking him this. Artemis just shot her a cold look and followed Butler out of the shuttle. Holly smirked. She knew that she was starting to get under his skin. Annoying him was her new favorite pastime.  
  
Koboi Labs, Haven, Underground  
  
After what felt similar to an eternity of crawling through revolting muck and sludge they finally made it into Koboi labs. It was barren. Not a single life form could be found in any part of the massive structure, save the rats and mice. Layers of dust and debris lined all surfaces so that it looked like no one had inhabited the place for centuries, when in reality it had only been a few years.  
The silence was finally broken when Trouble asked, "Where should we start?"  
"I would suppose she spent most of her time in a laboratory of some sort. What with her many inventions she would need a great abundance of time in one. That is where we should start searching around for her DNA." Artemis answered.  
"How do we know a hair we may find is hers, and not some other scientists?"  
"She's a brunette. So we are looking for a strand of light brown hair. The only other beings that were here during the siege were goblins. The little hair that they do have is green. And if she kept any pet trolls here, their hair is much harder than a pixies hair." Holly said expertly. "Just some information." Mulch looked at her funny but decided it be wise not to mention anything on how weird knowing what creature has what type of hair would be.  
"Okay. So does anyone know where a lab is?" Trouble questioned. Holly began pressing numerous colorful buttons on her helmet. "Yeah. There's one on the third floor in the west wing, second door on the right." Now Holly got some very strange looks. "I programmed my helmet to seek for foreign chemicals that would be found in a lab. It shouldn't be all that amazing. It's elementary really."  
"Well let's get a move on." Root commanded gruffly.  
So the search began as they walked to the designated lab. It didn't take very long to get there. But getting in would be a different story. There looked like there were hundreds of complicated locks keeping them from getting into the lab.  
"Go ahead and work your magic, Fowl." Trouble said, still in shock. They had come all this way and it was going to take hours or days, even with Fowls genius helping them, to get in.  
Artemis immediately got to work. After he disabled an alarm he started to work on the complicated lock on the doorknob. He touched the knob and jumped back suddenly. His raven-black hair was starting to stand on end.  
"The knob has an electric current connecting to it some way. Does anyone have something rubber I can use to grab the handle with?" Holly took off one of her shoes and handed it to him. He looked at her, slightly confused.  
"Rubber soles." He nodded in understanding and put the shoe on the knob and twisted. The door opened and the others perked up, ready for anything. Another door. This new door had even more locks on it than the previous one did.  
Hours went by and hardly any progress had been made. Everyone was sitting down and leaning against a wall, all but Artemis. He was on his knees working on what he said was the last lock on this door.  
"Got it!" he said as he swung the door open in triumph. In front of him now was a human made pistol that shot regular bullets. It was positioned so it pointed directly at his chest. Before anyone could do anything the pistol shot Artemis in the center of his chest.  
  
A/N~ Review and tell me what you think. 


	20. Chapter 18

Disclaimer~ I don't own anything. A/N~ Please review and tell me what you think about the newest installment of my story.  
  
Koboi Labs, Haven, Underground  
  
Everything appeared to be moving in slow motion. The pistol fired and the bullet flew into Artemis' chest. When it hit him he shook and rocked on his feet and then fell slowly to the ground. His eyes were shut tightly and his teeth gritted together as they all waited for what was to come next.  
Ashamed was Butler. It was his duty to protect Artemis until the day he, not Artemis, died. What would Madame Ko think? He had failed to protect the principal. That would be awful enough. But this was one of his closest friends. Butler had known him since the day Mrs. Fowl had given birth to him. They had had a lot of good times and memorable adventures that will put a smile on his face whenever he thought of them. But Artemis would never get to think of them again.  
There was nothing any of the fairies with magic could do. Without Foaly they didn't have a clue as to magical surgery. Sure, Holly had done it before but she had instruction and a guide to aid her. Things really could fall apart when Foaly wasn't there.  
Holly really didn't care whether or not she knew how to heal him, but she sure as hell would try to. She hopped up from her position on the floor and ran over as fast as her short legs could carry her to where Artemis was lying on the floor. She paused a moment trying to conjure up her memories of the healing she did, successfully might we add, on Butler. Holly was about to take his shirt off to get to the wound when something truly miraculous happened.  
  
Artemis sat up.  
  
Gasps were heard all around. Holly jumped back in shock and her mouth was hanging open so wide that a swear toad could have jumped in and jumped out without her even noticing. She, nor could anyone else, couldn't believe it. But I, I-, Holly thought. I just- he was just- shot for Fronds sake! There was no possible way. A shot like that would have killed him. He wasn't even wearing a bulletproof vest!  
  
Artemis' POV  
  
Finally, he thought. Koboi may think she is the most intelligent creature in the world but there is no beating Artemis Fowl the Second. And Hol- Captain Short thought it would take days. I can't believe they are all sitting down looking exhausted. I'm the one who did all the work. But, then again, that flight could really take a lot of energy out of a person. I hope she doesn't drive when we get out of here. That is one flight I never want to have to experience again. Ever.  
"Got it!" he said joyfully. Spiro's locks on the door protecting my C Cube was tough, but this, this was quite a challenge. Then again, it was nothing I couldn't handle.  
Artemis stood up and fiddled with the knob until it opened. He swung the door wide open, ready for anything. All, of course, except what actually was there.  
He looked down at a rusty, old twenty-two mounted in a chunk of wood, made specifically to hold the gun. The gun was aimed directly at the center point of his chest. Then Artemis had a sudden sense of seeing that before. That gun looks awfully familiar.  
That's when he realized it. When they were in the warehouse rescuing Holly, Koboi was on the plasma screen. She had been fiddling with something. Twirling it in her hand like it was a baton. It was the gun. And when they had confronted Koboi after their little venture in the Artic. It had been strapped to her belt loop.  
She didn't fire it though. She didn't try to go out with a bang. Literally. That probably meant that she was saving it for a purpose. Opal knew that with Foaly in her clutches Artemis would be the one to undo all of her security devices. She had made it easy. So that he would get a sense of false security. So that he would throw precautions to the wind when he opened that door. And he had fell for it.  
  
Normal POV  
  
Artemis just blinked. Even though he was glad to not be dead it still seemed as though he should be. That bullet should have been coming out his back it hit so hard and fast. But by some miracle, it didn't.  
He looked up at Holly, who still had her mouth hanging wide open, then at Butler. Butler had an expression similar to Holly's on his face. Everyone's shock was evident. There was no getting around it. But the mystery was still out there: How?  
  
Artemis reached in his shirt. Blood was coming out of a wound. But this wound was not all that large. The bullet was imbedded in his skin only a few millimeters. How? The gold coin Holly had given him had slowed the bullet. The gold coin now had a second hole through; the one Holly shot through it for him, and now, the hole from this bullet. Of course the gold couldn't completely keep the bullet from going through but it stopped the bullet from killing him and that was all that mattered.  
Using his fingers, Artemis pulled out the bullet gingerly. Even though it hadn't created a mortal wound it still hurt. It dropped to the floor with a small clink. The room was deadly quiet. He was the first to break the awkward silence.  
"Well. Let's get that DNA we need. Standing around isn't going to do us much good." Everyone but Captain Short nodded. She was still standing there with a shocked expression on her face. She stared at Artemis. To her, it still didn't seem possible. Thankfully, she got over it and snapped back to what we like to call reality when he asked her for a hand.  
The others had already entered and were searching the room cautiously for the DNA they needed. Holly wearily helped Artemis to his feet, but she still gave him a strange look. Artemis felt really uncomfortable for one of the first times in his life. There was something in Holly's gaze that confused him.  
Finally, after what seemed an eternity of just staring at the other she said, "Why did you keep that?" This wasn't a question he had ever anticipated in answering, so he had no alibis, no lies, no half-truths to use in his time of panic.  
"I wanted something to remember the People." He stated blandly. It wasn't a lie really. He had wanted to remember the People. But he wanted to remember a specific member of the People. Something in the deepest, darkest part of his subconscious always wanted to remember Hol-Captain Short. Oh who cares? Holly. That's what he always wanted to call her, as of it was her name, but that would be, what would you call it? Unprofessional.  
When he had been mind-wiped and he couldn't remember or recall anything relating to the People, he had always felt something was missing. It was his friendship, if you could call it that, with Holly. He always felt they had a friendship and not just toleration for the other. He valued what he thought of as a friendship with Holly. Just like he valued his friendship with Butler and Juliet.  
"Oh." She said. Holly was very good at hiding her emotions but Artemis could tell she was a little disappointed. Maybe I should have told her the full truth, Artemis thought. Holly walked into the room with the others just as Artemis decided to tell her. He definitely couldn't do it if others were in the room with him. Oh well, maybe next time, he thought despairingly.  
  
A/N~ Please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. 


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